[CaptainCrunch]

Interesting post.

I'll address each part.

The JSF which is being built for the Marines, the Navy and the Brits is still under development, the problem is with its weight its too heavy and can't live up to its specs, based on that Lockheed Martin has had to go back to the drawing board to make it lighter, thats cost an extra 50 billion give or take. Its unlikely that the program will be canceled now as its in the terminal stages of development and its still the best plane for the Canadian Forces mission specs. In terms of individual plane costs. Canada is looking at buying 80 of them to replace the F-18 at a cost of $3.8 billion which is $47.5 million per plane if my math is right, which is pretty reasonable for a next generation all weather multimission strike fighter. That cost may increase slightly though.

When Canada purchased the Upholder subs and renamed them the Victoria class submarine, they were considered to be an incredible leap forward in diesel electric sub implementation. for one thing the hull shape was revolutionary as it utilized the same kind of shape as the British Trafalger nuc boat giving it equivalent maneuvering and good speed capabilities. In terms of sonar and weapons systems the Upholder was considered to be excellent. Unfortunatley due to Canada's signature on the non proliferation treaty, the smart purchase of Nuclear Submarines was not allowed (a diesel boat is hampered by its need for fuel and battery recharges near the surface which does not help in terms of arctic duty)

In terms of age, the Upholders aren't old, the ones that Canada bought had their keels laid down between 1990-93.

I like the German and Dutch boats which work with an Oxygen Independant system, however they are good coastal patrol subs, and are not suited to NATO's need for Submarines with mid ocean long deployment capabilities.

In terms of costs, Canada originally did get a stellar deal paying $244 million for 4 boats at a cost of about $58 million each, where the problem comes in to play is that the boats had been in storage as the brits decided to strictly follow a nuc boat strategy, and the Upholders deteriorated, and Canada's sign off was premature as there were some significant down check issues on the boat.

From what I understand, two of the boats have been deployed, with a third rejoining the fleet next year. The Chicoutimi which had the tragic fire is still in dry dock. However the incident is not all of the subs fault, as after the sub surfaced due to a fire, the Captain decided to run on the surface during a storm with the hatches open to vent the smoke out, the high swells allowed salt water to flood the electrical compartment causing an even worse situation.

Over the past few years the Canadian Forces has worked almost exclusively to upgrade its land component with new communications systems, the purchase of new helicopters and heavy lift capable planes, the expected upgrading of the Leopard tanks the replacement of the terrible Iltis jeeps with the new Mercedes. The cancellation of the terrible MGS. The purchase of UAVs While the ground forces component is no where complete, they're a generation ahead of where they were 5 years ago.

In my mind the next steps for the Canadian Forces are

1) The half life refits of the Halifax Frigates with upgraded weapons and sensor systems

2) The purchase of heavy lift capable Ships capable of carrying troops, helicopters and supplies anywhere in the world.

3) The increase in size of our tactical helicopter squad, hopefully they replace the Griffins with something faster that can lift more troops and be armed for battlefield support (BlackHawks would be nice or the Osphrey VTOL aircraft would be better)

4) The finalization of the purchase of maritime anti-submarine helicopters to replace the Sea Kings.

5) The retirement of the CF-18 fleet and the transition to the JSF

6) The purchase of at least two maritime Command Vessels to coordinate with the Halifax Frigates. The Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers would be perfect for the role with some communications refitting.

Just my thoughts